7. Inclusive decision-making

Ensure that processes of decision-making over land are inclusive, so that policies, laws, procedures and decisions concerning land adequately reflect the rights, needs and aspirations of individuals and communities who will be affected by them. This requires the empowerment of those who otherwise would face limitations in representing their interests, particularly through support to land users' and other civil society organizations that are best able to inform, mobilize and legitimately represent marginalized land users, and their participation in multi-stakeholder platforms for policy dialogue.

Albania

In Albania, our members are working on awareness raising activities and campaign materials, in order to ensure that women are better represented in the Forest and Pasture User' Associations (FPUA) decision-making bodies and managerial processes

Members are also working to develop one pilot of a unified cadastre for natural resources (forest, pasture and agricultural land)

Nepal

Our members in Nepal are working on land rights campaigns to mobilize landless and tenant farmers, including smallholders, and to ensure that land reform commitment is included in the upcoming Constitution of Nepal

Philippines

In the Philippines, our members are working so that networks of fisherfolks are strengthened and can consequently be recognized as political actors

Togo

In Togo, our members are working to ensure that the development of the agrarian code is inclusive and representative and that its recommendations are considered by decision-makers

Madagascar

In Madagascar, our members organise preliminary meetings with civil society before each provincial workshop, in order to discuss the renewed framework of the land policy organised by the government and to propose recommendations that include rural populations

Cameroon

In Cameroon, our members have ensured that an increased number of local communities and vulnerable groups are engaged in land negotiations, with a clear and firm commitment to the interests they have to defend and the benefits they have to seek

Malawi

In Malawi, our members are conducting awareness activities on land rights and empowering communities to demand their rights from duty bearers

Ecuador

In Ecuador, members are developing a multi-stakeholder platform that consults with different sectors to provide recommendations at national legislative levels through participatory dialogue

Peru

In Peru, our members are working towards the inclusion of indigenous and rural women in the formulation of regulations and policies related to responsible governance on land

Nicaragua

In Nicaragua, members are defining concrete mechanisms for improving policies for access to land by developing capacities of civil society organisations to propose concrete policy proposals and recommendations

Global Policy

Inclusive decision-making is the key to people-centred land governance and as such, this commitment is fundamental to ILC's philosophy and a crucial part of the work of many ILC members. Inclusiveness is not only linked to gender justice but also touches on generational justice.

So far, ILC has promoted inclusiveness from the gender angle to encourage the participation of women in global policy processes and ILC-supported activities. ILC also promoted the participation of Indigenous Peoples' organisations in the Coalition.

In coming years, we will step up our efforts to learn from and build on the existing global initiatives on Women's Land Rights and Indigenous Peoples. ILC will engage the members interested in defining a joint way forward to address inclusiveness from a broad perspective, starting with a focus on youth and the need for concerted efforts to address the specific needs and aspirations of the new generations. ILC will adapt to the interest and demands of members to find the best possible way to facilitating members' collaboration under this commitment.

In addition, the ILC strongly advocates for ways of measuring and monitoring progress on development objectives that are inclusive and empower those very individuals and communities living on and from the land. ILC members are thus working to develop an approach paper on participatory, community-based information and monitoring systems, in order to build momentum among policymakers for greater reliance on bottom-up systems as legitimate and complementary sources of data and information, and to demonstrate tools and modalities for their application and usage.

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